


resilient

by rainbowshoes



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Criminal trial, Detective AU, Drug Use, Forced Prostitution, Gun Violence, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Human Trafficking, Insecure Tony, Kidnapped Tony Stark, M/M, NO UNSOLICITED CRITICISM, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Serious Injuries, Sexual Violence, Smoking, Undercover Missions, Violence, Young Tony Stark, being framed, philanthropist tony stark, stane is a bag of dicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 10:08:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19271071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowshoes/pseuds/rainbowshoes
Summary: tony was kidnapped at seventeen.bucky doesn't realize the cute whore at the underground club he's investigating undercover is none other than tony stark.a year later, the same whore accuses bucky of rape, and things take a turn no one expects.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> blame my old obsession with law&order:svu and doing a mindless repetitive task for this
> 
> i wrote the entirety of this in a single night because i literally have no goddamn self-control

Tony watched Rumlow and Rollins enter the dim room and he tried to shrink back into the hallway, just a little. He couldn't run from them, not really, but he wanted to. A third man, someone new, came behind them. He had the same look as the other two: dark hair, little bit of a beard, jeans, heavy boots, leather belt, gun in a thigh holster. Tony watched as the bouncer patted all three of them down, checking for wires, and took their weapons. 

"Rollins, show Bucky around." Tony swallowed hard as Rollins grinned and clapped the new guy - Bucky - on the shoulder and led him straight toward the wall where he and six others were standing in a neat little row. He was the only guy, but he locked eyes with Maya for a moment. Rollins liked her, which was bad for her. He was an asshole, and he always hurt her. 

"Take your pick," Rollins said, already reaching out to tug Maya to his side. "Batroc and Rumlow will be a while." 

Bucky eyed the girls beside Tony. He lingered for a moment on the new one, Natalie, then dismissed her and gave Tony a small smirk. "C'mon, babydoll," he said, holding out his hand. "You can show me a good time, right?" 

Rollins snorted, but he was already walking down the hall with Maya. Tony repressed his fear and plastered on a smile, then slid into place under Bucky's arm. At least he smelled good, Tony supposed. He led Bucky down the hall, the pounding music getting louder and louder with each door they passed. His was at the very end. He showed Bucky inside and closed the door behind himself. 

Tony turned and faced him. "I'm Tony," he said, tucking his fingers under Bucky's shirt and sliding it up. He leaned in close and had to rise on his tiptoes, just a bit, to give him a kiss. Bucky let him tug his shirt over his head, and Tony skimmed his fingers down Bucky's muscled, bare chest. He looked really nice. Almost perfect. His left arm was pretty badly scarred, but it didn't turn Tony off - not like the way some men did when they stunk. 

Bucky caught his fingers when Tony moved to his belt. "Slow down, babydoll," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Shh." Tony went very, very still. "Why don't you just sit down, huh? You look real damn tired." Tony blinked up at him and gave him an uncertain little nod, but he took a few steps back and sat down on the edge of his bed. He glanced around. There wasn't much in his tiny room, but he had a bed and a dresser and a small table with a lamp beside it. Bucky looked, too, and he found Tony's half-finished joint from much earlier in the day. His high was gone, by now, but he really wanted the rest of that joint if he had to fuck this guy. He was probably big, and he probably wouldn't want to take things so slow once they got going. It didn't hurt quite so bad if he was relaxed, at least. 

Bucky walked the two steps to Tony's dresser. Instead of grabbing the joint like Tony hoped, he stuck his hand in his pocket and tugged out a small plastic case. He popped it open and tugged out a small baggie of pot. Tony perked up at that, a little hopeful. Bucky took one of Tony's rolling papers and picked apart two tiny buds with quick, expert precision, then rolled the joint like a damn near perfect cigarette. 

Tony leaned back and braced himself on his hands, the flimsy little short, silk robe he was wearing gaping open around his skinny chest. "Natalie can do that with just one hand. Mine are still pretty shitty." He flashed Bucky a quick smile as Bucky smirked at him and stuck the joint between his lips. He grabbed his own lighter and lit it, then walked over and sat beside Tony. After a couple hits, he passed it to Tony, and Tony sucked down two big, greedy hits. 

"You shouldn't smoke," he admonished mildly. "Bad for you." 

Tony snorted. "Like everything isn't, these days." He slid down to the carpet on his knees at Bucky's feet and began to unlace his boots. "Maya's a vegetarian. She used to be vegan, she said, but you know. Can't exactly maintain that kind of lifestyle here." He gave Bucky a wry smile. "Ever heard of a vegetarian whore? Like, come on." He laughed a little and passed the joint up to Bucky. 

"I can't say I have," Bucky said with his own little chuckle. He lifted each foot as Tony slid off first one boot, then the other. Tony stood, but Bucky tugged him down to sit beside him again. Tony made to pull at the knot on the belt for his robe, but Bucky put his hand over Tony's. "Shh, babydoll."

Tony felt a thin thread of panic. He turned wide, pleading eyes on Bucky. "You - you don't want me?" It wasn't really what he meant to ask, not at all, but it was the only thing he  _ could  _ ask that wasn't likely to get him backhanded into next week. That had happened a few times before. Batroc would be worse, after. He always was. He'd never actually fucked Tony, but he'd have someone else do it after he was finished beating him. 

"On, no babydoll," Bucky said gently. He cupped the back of Tony's head and pressed a warm kiss to his forehead. "You are the prettiest thing I've seen a long goddamn time, but you look tired, and I ain't had any sleep in about two or three days now." He leaned back and gave Tony a crooked smile. "Wouldn't be able to live up the embarrassment if I disappointed you." 

"You wouldn't disappoint me," Tony said in a very small voice. That was even true. Tony had long ago forgotten what it meant to be disappointed about anything. Tony bit his lip nervously. "What - what do you wanna do, then?" 

"Well," Bucky said, stretching out the word as he slid back and laid down on Tony's bed, his head on one of Tony's admittedly thin and slightly shabby pillows, "I really just want a nap. How's that sound to you, babydoll? You can come right up here and take a nap with me, and when I leave, I'll tell them whatever you think I should that'll get you in the least amount of trouble. Sound good?" 

Tony blinked rapidly at Bucky, and he couldn't stop the tears from filling his eyes. Bucky made a soft sound when he noticed and reached over to put the joint in the empty ashtray by Tony's bed. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Tony and hugged him tight to his chest, then slowly lay back, positioning Tony's head on his chest and combing his fingers through Tony's hair again and again. 

"Shh, babydoll, it's okay," he murmured. "It's okay." 

Tony reached up with one hand and used his sleeve to wipe at his eyes before the tears could fall and get all over Bucky. No one did anything kind for him. Not even the other girls. They couldn't really be kind to one another, not when they were all so very worn down themselves. But Tony was a little high, and he was tired just like Bucky said, and he hadn't eaten at all today, and he found himself drifting to sleep before he realized it. 

A little more than two hours had passed when Bucky gently woke Tony with a light pat to his shoulder. "I gotta go, babydoll." Tony could hear Rollins calling through the door. He scrambled up and shucked his robe before tossing it to the floor by Bucky's shirt, then reached over and quickly undid Bucky's belt and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Bucky was already trying to get off the bed, but Tony reached up and grabbed his shoulders to smash their mouths together in a harsh kiss. Bucky threaded his fingers gently through Tony's hair until he reached the back, near his neck. 

Just as the door opened, he tugged Tony's head back and smirked. "Gotta go, babydoll, but thanks." 

"Get your shit and let's go already," Rollins said, clearly annoyed. He glanced at Tony, then dismissed him. Bucky grabbed his shirt and tugged it over his head, then stepped into his boots. The little plastic case from the dresser vanished into his pocket. He was still fixing his pants as he walked out of the room, speaking quietly to Rollins. Tony reached over the edge of his bed and snagged the end of his robe, gathering it up to rest on his lap. He stared at the half-smoked joint in his ashtray for a moment, then reached over and grabbed it before tucking it into his mouth and finding a lighter. 

Natalie came by and propped herself against his doorframe, looking him over. "Well?" she asked dryly. "How was the new guy?"

"Nice," Tony said softly. He reached over and ashed the joint in the ashtray. He waved her in, and she pushed the door mostly shut behind her, but not quite closed. They weren't allowed unless they had a client, after all. "He - he didn't fuck me." She raised one blonde eyebrow. "We took a  _ nap _ ." 

"Well that's one easy night," she said with a huff. "Lucky you. I was told to come make sure he hadn't damaged the merchandise. I'll let Batroc know you're not bloodied up." She turned and went back to the door, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I wouldn't tell anyone else about that if I were you."

Tony snorted. "I'm not a fucking idiot. I'll just say he was really sweet. We get those, sometimes." She shrugged. They did, it was true, but she hadn't exactly been around long enough to see that sort of client for herself. She left, and Tony curled up a little, finishing off the joint all to himself. He sort of hoped Bucky would come back.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky made a face and reached over and shoved at Sam's shoulder. "Man, that's just disrespectful to good fucking pizza. Pineapple? Really?"

"Hey, I'm not the heathen that's gonna get scurvy because I don't know what a fruit looks like," Sam shot right back. He took a big bite of his slice of pizza, then spoke with his mouthful. "Not like I got this for you, anyway." 

"God, you're disgusting," Bucky said, faking a gag. 

"Barnes!" Captain Carter's voice rang out through the bullpen like a death knell. "My office, please." Sam ooo'd like the five-year-old he really was, and Bucky flipped him off as he walked away. Carter didn't so much as roll her eyes at their antics, and something slimy and unpleasant slithered into Bucky's gut. That wasn't a good sign. She shut the door after he entered. "Sit, please." He did, immediately.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked, watching her as she walked around to sit on her side of the desk. "Is it Steve?"

"No," she said with a short shake of her head. "No, this is about you, I'm afraid." 

He laughed a little, nervous but not terribly worried. "What now? I mean, I haven't done anything worth getting written up over in months." It was even true. Steve had gotten all over his case about it, the last time, and Bucky had done a damn good job of getting his shit straight. 

"It's about your undercover work last year," she said. Bucky frowned sharply. She grabbed the paper from a few days ago and flipped it over to show where his picture had been printed to go along with some kind of fluff piece. He'd been one of dozens of detectives, cops, and firefighters who'd volunteered to work the big drive last weekend for the animal shelter. He was sitting on the ground with a literal pile of puppies in his lap. "Someone saw this picture, and they came to the police station to make a report."

"About  _ me _ ?" He demanded, suddenly angry. "What the fuck! What are they saying I did?" He hadn't done all that much, even to maintain his cover. He hadn't needed to. He'd busted some faces, sure, but they were lowlifes - sure as shit not the type to go running to the cops over a year later.

"He's claiming you raped him," Carter said, her voice and face perfectly neutral.

Bucky's world tilted on its side. "Tony," he breathed. Carter raised an eyebrow. "No, no, listen. Look, it was right at the beginning of all that shit. Rumlow took me to Batroc's hideout for the first time. Me and Rollins had to go off with some of the - the -" he struggled for an accurate and inoffensive word, but Carter waved him along, so he skipped it. "There was this  _ kid _ there, Carter. He couldn't have been more than sixteen, I swear to Christ. So I picked him." Her lips flattened into an angry line. He was half out of his seat as he slammed the flat of his hand against her desk. "I didn't fuck him! The only thing I fucking did was give the kid a joint and let him take a nap, okay! And fuck you for thinking I'd do something like that!" He stood and slammed out of her office, not caring that he had every head in the bullpen turned in his direction. 

"Barnes!" Carter snapped. 

He ignored her and kept walking, took the stairs down two flights, and barged straight into Special Victims' bullpen. Natasha spotted him the moment he entered, and she stood and calmly handed over whoever she was interviewing to her partner, Clint. 

"Come with me," he said, low and angry. He took the stairs two at the time to the roof, already pulling out a battered pack of cigarettes from his front pocket. He'd been trying to kick the habit, but then shit always happened. 

"What happened?" she asked once they were on the roof and she'd scanned it to make sure no one else was up there. 

Bucky took two quick draws from his cigarette first. "You remember Batroc's." She nodded, her lips going very flat. She'd gotten into that mess on her end at the same time he had, and they'd both wound up on the same case. They hadn't realized it until they'd spotted each other there. "Tony, the kid. He's saying I raped him. Saw my picture in the paper or some shit and came to make a report."

Natasha's eyes flashed as she thought fast. "He told me the two of you took a nap," she said. He spun and looked at her, surprised she knew that. "I told him not to mention it to anyone else. He said he wasn't an idiot." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Batroc wouldn't have let him leave."

Bucky pointed at her. "No, he fucking wouldn't have," he said viciously. "So why the  _ fuck  _ is Carter asking me about this? How did this happen, Nat? And shouldn't you have seen him if he came to make a report like that? Even if you didn't interview him, he'd have still come up to SVU." 

"I didn't see him," she said, and he believed her. "I'll go figure this out. You  _ stay fucking here _ ." She pointed at the roof between their feet. "Don't run off half-cocked like you always do. It will backfire if you do."

"I'm gonna smoke this entire goddamn pack of cigarettes," Bucky said angrily, "and you can come and find me when you have some answers. That is if Carter doesn't come up here and fire me first." He snorted.

"What did you do?" she asked, rubbing her forehead with two fingers. 

"I said fuck her for thinking I did something like that," Bucky snapped. Natasha sighed heavily and shook her head. "It's fine. I'll go to the FBI with Stevie." He shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but it  _ was  _ and he was  _ pissed  _ and he was really fucking upset. 

Natasha stepped closer and squeezed his shoulder. "Just don't go anywhere, okay? I'll text you when I have some information." He nodded tightly, and she walked away. 

He smoked another two cigarettes before Carter came and found him. "I thought you might be up here," she said softly. She walked over and sat beside him on the little bench. She surprised him by taking his crumpled pack, fishing out one of his last three cigarettes, and sticking it between her lips. He offered her his zippo, and she lit the cigarette herself before flicking it closed with a practiced ease and handing it back. 

"Nat find you?" he asked, looking down and ashing the remainder of his third cigarette. 

"She did," Carter said with a nod. She paused as she inhaled and blew out a perfect smoke ring, smirking just a bit at the sight before the wind carried it away. "She told me what she witnessed. She's having Tony moved to our interview room rather than SVUs." She paused and shifted to face Bucky a little more directly. "Do you know why I told you the way I did?" He shook his head because it still fucking stung and he couldn't quite get past that. "I didn't truly think you'd done anything of the sort. But I had to goad you into a reaction. Now, half the bullpen heard your little outburst, and they're worse gossips than the little old ladies in a sewing circle." She smirked and stuck the cigarette between her lips. 

"You think someone's trying to set me up," he said slowly. Her smirk fell, and she sighed as she nodded. "The undercover op. It was rigged from the beginning. We  _ knew  _ that, though. That's why we're still working it as much as we can." 

"Unofficially," Carter said with a nod. "On paper, it was finished with Rumlow's and Rollin's arrests and everyone patted themselves on the back for a job well done. We know this goes much deeper than Rollins and Rumlow, though. Just how deep, we haven't been able to ascertain."

"Someone figured out we're still working this," Bucky said grimly. "And they made Batroc send Tony to point the finger at me." Carter nodded. "But who knows about this other than me and you, Steve, Nat, Clint, and Sam?"

Carter pressed her lips into a thin line. "This may all be my fault, Bucky, and I'm sorry for that," she said. He just stared at her. "I went to Director Pierce. I thought I could trust him."

Bucky nearly dropped his cigarette. "You think it's Pierce," he said softly. She nodded. "Fuck. Fuck, Peggy." He rarely used her first name at work, but for this, he thought it was warranted. "We need to tell Steve. He needs to be here to watch your six."

She bristled. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you," she said tartly. 

"If Pierce really is behind this," Bucky said lowly, "we all got a target painted on our heads. Yours is the biggest, Pegs, and you fuckin' know that. Don't give me shit right now. Call Steve. Tell him something to make him come the fuck home. If I do it, it'll look suspicious."

"Fine," she said, waving him away. "I'm going to suspend you." He nodded because that was the smart move. "I expect Internal Affairs will want to speak to you soon. Natasha and I will do all we can to get this cleaned up, but we're going to have to do quite a lot very fast - much quicker than I am comfortable with."

"Call your spook friend," Bucky said. "Fowler or Fowley or Fury or whatever." He knew the man's name, but he played stupid all the time, and it was second nature at this point. Peggy knew better and ignored it.  _ Carter _ , as his boss, let him get away with it and pretended to be annoyed. "He can do more than we can. I told you that guy Stane, with SI, was involved. There's got to be some kind of connection there. Just because I haven't found it yet doesn't mean much." 

Peggy went very, very still. "Say that again," she demanded, staring out into the middle-distance. 

"I told you, that guy Stane, with SI, was invol-"

"That's it," she said, turning to look at Bucky with wide eyes. "I know where I recognize Tony from, now." She sucked down another hit on her cigarette and gave it to Bucky to hold, then fished her phone from her pocket and began to tap at it rapidly. "Three years ago, Howard Stark reported his son missing. Everyone was in an uproar over it for weeks. I interviewed Stane myself. It all died down when we didn't find him right away." She took her cigarette back and took one last hit before dropping it and stepping on it. "Look." She showed Bucky her screen, and he felt like the air had just been kicked out of his chest. 

"Fuck," Bucky breathed. "That's - that's  _ Tony _ ." He looked so goddamn  _ young _ . His face was chubbier, his hair shorter, his complexion darker and healthier. He looked up at Peggy. "How old was he when he went missing?"

"Seventeen," she said. She looked down at the photo. "We were pulled in because he went missing over the Christmas holiday. He was home from MIT. They were notified in Boston, as well, but… we never found him. Most of us believed he'd simply run off. Howard was a right arse to that poor child, always belittling him when he thought no one was listening. No one ever got evidence of actual abuse, but." She shrugged. "It was his mother, Maria, who'd been so worried and filed all the missing person reports. Howard wouldn't so much as talk to the press about it."

"Shit," Bucky said softly. "He's what, twenty by now?" 

"Twenty-one, I believe. His birthday was back in May," Peggy said. She frowned at the picture. "He's been here in New York all this time…"

"You never would have found him, Pegs," Bucky said, not looking at her, but reaching over to pat her knee. "Batroc didn't want him found, and Nat said he kept them all locked down. They weren't ever allowed to leave."

Peggy took a deep breath and nodded once, clearing away the search. "Right. We have a part to play, Sergeant Barnes." 

"What do you want me to do?" He settled his face into something grim and determined and dropped his cigarette butt to the ground beside hers before stomping on it, though the cherry had burned out long ago.

"Be angry," she said, standing. "Furious. I will escort you down to the armory and you will fill out the papers to surrender your badge and gun, and then you will say something particularly nasty to me as you leave. If anyone asks, we've been fighting up here." 

"What about Tony?" he asked. "You can't let that kid walk out of here on his own, Pegs. He'll run straight back to Batroc."

"I know." She settled her hand on Bucky's arm. "Trust me." He nodded, and their show began.


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky sat in Sister Margaret's at a dark table near the back, a beer bottle in his hand. There was one empty one on the table in front of him, but Wade had done him a solid and drank most of it for him. Wade was gone now, and he was waiting on Natasha to text him. When the message came through on his burner phone, he left the bottle on the table, waved his hand to Weasel as the only goodbye he was willing to give and left. It was only two blocks to his apartment, but his bag was waiting for him inside. He grabbed it and headed straight back down the stairs after locking up. He was on his bike and headed across the city two minutes later. 

He'd been to Clint's apartment building in Bed-Stuy plenty of times before. He waved to the couple half hanging out of a window and enjoying the fall breeze. The boys waved back with equal grins, but they didn't get the time to call down to him before he was inside the building. He walked up four flights of stairs, then came to a stop at apartment 4E. He knocked once, paused, then knocked three more times in quick succession. It wasn't quite Morse code, but it was close. 

Natasha opened the door herself, and Bucky came inside. She shut it and bolted it behind him. "You weren't followed?" He dropped his bag by the door.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Even if I was, I'm here often enough that they should think I'm just drinking with Clint." Clint nodded at him from where he was perched on the back of the second-hand sofa. Bucky nodded back. "Where is he?"

"In the shower," Clint said. "No window in there, don't worry, and it doesn't connect to the bedroom." He pointed to the bathroom door which, Bucky realized, Clint had a perfect view of, even if it didn't seem like he was facing that direction on purpose. "Also, I made sure there wasn't a razor in there."

"You think he's a suicide risk?" Bucky asked, turning his attention to Natasha. 

"Not particularly," she said, "but he was very upset. He knows we are trying to help him, and he's agreed to everything so far. He won't be charged with filing a false report, and we won't let Batroc get to him to take him back." She lifted a bag of ice from the back of her hand, and Bucky saw her red and swollen knuckles. "I had to fight the man who was sent to keep an eye on him." She quirked a red eyebrow at Bucky. He was glad she'd ditched the blonde immediately after the shit with Batroc last year. "Tony speaks flawless French, by the way."

"Somehow, I ain't surprised," he said with a heavy sigh. 

"Why?" Clint asked with a frown. "There's something you two aren't telling me about this kid."

"I'm not a kid." The three of them turned to look at Tony, who was standing at the open bathroom door. He didn't look all that different from the last time Bucky had seen him. Thinner, maybe. He was wearing Clint's clothes: a pair of purple and gray plaid pajama pants and a black undershirt, both of which hung off his skinny frame. "I'm twenty-one."

"It's cute how you think that means you aren't a kid," Clint said with a snort. "When you turn thirty, then you can come talk to me."

Natasha smacked him in the back of the head. "You aren't thirty yet, moron." 

"Ow, Nat, that hurt," Clint whined. "Bucky, your sister hit me." 

"She's your girlfriend," Bucky said with an unrepentant shrug. "And I know exactly how hard she hits. I taught her how." 

"You're both assholes," Clint grumbled. "I'm gonna go get pizza." He hopped off the back of the couch and looked to Tony. "Preference on toppings?"

"Not pineapple," Tony said. Bucky smirked at him, but Tony looked away, guilty. Bucky sighed internally. He was going to have to have a talk with Tony about that. "I, um. I'm pretty hungry, though." 

"It's cool," Clint said. "Give me like, half an hour. I'll bring beer, too, since you're, y'know,  _ not a kid _ ." His teasing pulled a small smile out of Tony. "Anything else you want while I'm out?" 

"Cigarettes?" Tony asked hopefully. "I mean. I doubt a bunch of cops are gonna let me smoke pot." He wrapped his arms around himself, and he looked impossibly small. 

"It's cool," Bucky said, already taking out his phone and texting Wade. Wade would bring it to Clint at the pizza place, and he'd even take an IOU, but mostly only because it was Bucky asking. He looked at Clint. "Wade will meet you there. He is  _ not  _ invited over."

Clint made a face. "Dude, I don't know how you can stand that guy."

"Why, because his face is all fucked up?" Bucky asked, surprised.

"Because he's fucking weird," Natasha said flatly. She tugged on the hem of Clint's shirt to get him moving. "Text me what brand of cigarettes." 

"Sure," he said. 

They left, and he bolted the door behind them. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his bag, then jerked his head for Tony to join him by the window. He opened the window, then pulled the blinds closed. There was already an ashtray waiting for him. He offered the pack to Tony, who took it meekly. His hands were shaking slightly as he tried to light his cigarette, so Bucky flicked his zippo for him, and held out the flame, Tony's eyes flicked up to him, then he leaned forward just a hair for the cigarette to catch, and he inhaled. Bucky sat down on the floor in front of the window, and Tony sank down slowly to join him. 

"I'm sorry," Tony said quietly. "I - I'm sorry I got you in trouble."

"I'm not actually in trouble," he said. He lit his own cigarette and blew the smoke straight up. "Most of it was an act to convince all the other cops. None of them know you're here. It's - it's like protective custody, okay? There aren't a lot of us who know what's really going down, and we don't know who we can trust outside of our circle."

Tony reached up and ashed his cigarette. When Bucky caught sight of the bruising up and down Tony's forearm, he moved the ashtray to the floor. Those were fingerprints, he realized. "So… you didn't get suspended or whatever?"

"Well, technically," Bucky shrugged. "Carter knows I didn't rape you." He looked directly at Tony as he said it. He felt bad, though, because Tony's eyes filled with tears. 

"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to go there. But Batroc said he was gonna kill me if I didn't." He wiped rapidly at his face, trying to stem the flow of tears. 

"C'mere," Bucky said, holding out his arm. He was surprised, a little, when Tony practically threw the cigarette into the ashtray before launching himself into Bucky's arms, hiding his face against Bucky's shoulder. Bucky wrapped his arm around Tony's thin, boney shoulders, and he rubbed Tony's back. "We aren't gonna let them get you again, Tony." 

"I never wanted to be there," Tony sobbed. "And I didn't fucking run away like they said on the news. I didn't."

Bucky reached over to add his cigarette to Tony's in the ashtray. He ran his fingers through Tony's hair as gently as he could, wincing slightly when he realized Tony had more than one goose egg sized lump in his scalp. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

"It was Stane," Tony spat, jerking back a little to sit on his knees and look Bucky in the eyes. "Back - back then, he was Uncle Obie. I trusted him." More tears rolled down his face. "Mom and Dad went to some dinner party or some shit, and he came to the house. He said we were going out, too, so I went. But someone hit me or something, I don't know. I don't remember. I just know I was in the car with Obie one minute, and the next I'm waking up with Batroc standing over me." 

"I'm so sorry, babydoll," Bucky said quietly. "I had no idea who you were, back then. Nat didn't, either. We got shut down before we could make a move against Batroc, though, and every time we tried to request to go after him, we were denied." It had been damned suspicious, at the time, and it was even more suspicious now. 

"I just wanted you to come back," Tony said, choking on his tears. "I wanted to tell you, and I wanted - I wanted you to come back." 

Bucky leaned forward and cupped Tony's face in his hands. "I couldn't because it wasn't part of my assignment. I was undercover. I'm a  _ cop _ , babydoll."

Tony nodded, as much as he could with Bucky holding his face. "I know that  _ now _ ," he said. "But you were the only fucking person in that place who was ever nice to me." 

"Christ," Bucky sighed. He drew Tony closer and kissed his forehead, then helped him settle against his chest. Tony didn't cry for long, and Bucky figured it was probably because he was too dehydrated for that. "We're gonna make sure you don't get hurt while we take down everyone we possibly can," he said, "and then we'll get you back to your mom, okay?"

"I can't go back there," Tony said quietly. "Not - not now."

"Course you can," Bucky said. "Your mom misses you, Tony."

"I miss her, too," Tony said, nodding a little. "But I still can't go back. You know who I am. You know who my dad is. Howard hated it when I fucked around because I  _ wanted  _ to. Called me a whore. Now that I actually was one?" Tony laughed, but it wasn't funny. "I really doubt he'll let me see Mom. Can't  _ spread my filth _ . Might get to talk to her on the phone, but I don't even expect that." 

Bucky closed his eyes and tried to figure out what to say. "Tony, you know you didn't consent to any of that shit, right?" He nodded and sniffed wetly. "I will deck Howard fucking Stark my damn self if he tries to say anything to you about being held prisoner for three years. Nat will hold him for me, too, just wait. Then she'll sit him down and give him her scary talk about how you don't ever,  _ ever _ blame rape victims. I've seen her give it like, twenty times and it still gives me chills. And then I'll punch him again if he still tries shit. Deal?"

"Deal, but only because I really want to see that," Tony said, and Bucky hoped Tony was smiling, even a little. "I didn't know she was your sister." He scoffed. "Then again, I thought her name was  _ Natalie  _ until this afternoon. And that she was blonde. How come you didn't have to change your name?" Tony tipped his head up to look at Bucky.

"Because it was… kind of weird?" Bucky said, then made a face. "Rumlow and Rollins were cops. Not detectives or anything, but still cops. And they knew me. I stumbled into their shit, one night, on accident. Mostly because I know Wade and Wade was caught in it too. Next thing I knew, I was suddenly working literally twenty-four/seven for about four days until I got myself fake suspended and I could run around with Rumlow and Rollins. It was probably the worst I've ever felt about being a cop." He shrugged. "Didn't last all that long, unfortunately. We were hoping it would be a longer assignment. Plug was pulled by the higher-ups. We've been working it as well as we could around our usual caseloads. I'm regularly pulling down eighty-hour weeks, and I don't think I've had a real day off in three months." 

"That sounds… really hard," Tony said quietly. "Why do you do it?"

"Because someone is protecting Batroc, and I want to find out who and why and take them down." Bucky didn't say that he hadn't been able to get Tony out of his head since the night he met him. To be fair, he'd been worried that Tony was just a kid and that Batroc was into some human trafficking shit, but he'd done a lot of work in the last year because the thought of Tony with his painfully young face stuck in that place terrified him. He looked down at Tony and tried for a small smile. "Hopefully it'll be done with soon, and we can get you home." 

Tony looked away, then. "I don't think I deserve to go home," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Bucky squeezed his arms around Tony a hair tighter, but he was afraid to do much more. He didn't know what kind of shape Tony was in under his clothes, and he didn't want to make him worse. 

"You do, Tony," Bucky swore. "You do."


	4. Chapter 4

Bucky looked down at his phone and sighed. He looked over at Tony and held his finger to his lips to signal for him to be quiet. "Barnes," he said, clipped and irritated. 

"Sergeant Barnes, we need you to come down to the Internal Affairs office this afternoon," the woman on the phone said. "Please be here by one o'clock."

"Yeah, whatever," Bucky muttered, then hung up on her. He tossed the phone to the cushion beside himself and scrubbed his hands over his face. He had a good two-day-old stubble going on, so that was a bonus. He wasn't going to shave first, either. 

"You have to leave?" Tony asked. Bucky dropped his hands and looked over at him, and he found Tony's eyes wide with fear. He nodded. "But - what about - what about Batroc's people? What if they find me?"

"They won't," Bucky said, low and firm. "You're going to bolt the door when I leave, and if anyone knocks, you ignore it." He reached over to the coffee table and picked up his burner phone. "I'm going to leave this with you. My work phone, Natasha's, and Clint's are all programmed in here already. If someone does knock, call one of us. You  _ keep calling  _ until you get an answer. I'm texting them to tell them you have it, okay?" He did that, quickly, then erased the other half dozen messages in the phone. "Don't call anyone else, don't use it for anything else. Even if you really, really want to, it's not safe yet. If they're calling me in to Internal Affairs now, it means shit is going down and they're trying to cover their asses. We'll handle it, but you have to stay here, okay?" 

Tony nodded. "I'm just - I'm scared."

"I know." Bucky squeezed his hand. "But we're getting it all taken care of, and it won't be much longer. I don't know how long it will take before they let me go, but I can't just start texting that number. Only use it for an emergency, okay?"

"Okay, Bucky," Tony said seriously. 

"I have to go shower." Bucky stood and walked to the bathroom with his bag in his hand. He didn't have a lot of time, unfortunately. He made his shower quick, and he dressed in jeans and his boots and a red henley, then added his leather jacket when he was about to walk through the door. Tony was still curled on the couch under an ugly purple throw blanket. Bucky nodded to him, then left. 

He waited in the hall until he heard Tony move and bolt the door. For the last two days, he'd stayed in the apartment with Tony. Natasha had brought actual groceries so he could cook real food for himself and Tony, and that was nice. Clint and Nat came by every night for at least a couple hours before heading down one floor to Clint's actual apartment. The empty unit they were using was one Bucky crashed in on occasion. They'd watched lots of tv, but otherwise, it had been pretty boring. Bucky was used to doing too much these days, and staying cooped up in the apartment was giving him cabin fever. Not that he blamed Tony for that. 

Natasha knew Bucky was in too deep on all this, but she hadn't called him on it yet. Mostly because Tony got a little panicky whenever Bucky tried to leave, even for a few minutes. He imagined Tony was probably panicking now, but there wasn't anything he could do. 

It took over half an hour to get to Internal Affairs. He took his time walking into the building, though, scraping on a layer of annoyance and bitterness. He'd have to act the hell out of this. 

He was shown to a plain little interview room, and he sat down with his arms crossed over his chest. Pierce didn't make him wait long before he sauntered into the room. He sat down across from Bucky. 

"I assume you know why you're here," Pierce said with a bland little smile.

"Yeah, and it's bullshit," Bucky snapped. "If you, you know, did your goddamn job and pulled the tapes from the undercover op I was working at the time, you'd know."

"We did," Pierce said with a nod. "Unfortunately, the files are corrupted." He shrugged and spread his hands. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"They weren't corrupted went I had to send them through my handler for review," Bucky said lowly. "Where is Zemo, anyway?"

"We asked him, and he said the only thing he could hear on the tapes at the time was loud music playing. He didn't think much of it." Pierce was fucking playing a long game, and Bucky felt so very screwed. "We've tried contacting the man who gave the report, but he seems to have gone missing."

Bucky narrowed his eyes. "From what I remember about the case, Batroc never let any of his whores leave the building. You tried calling him yet?" 

Pierce laughed. "You think this is some kind of game, Barnes? We aren't calling a man like Batroc, even if we had a way to contact him. What I'm concerned with, here, is that one of my detectives was accused of raping a young man while he was on an undercover assignment. That's some highly unethical behavior, and I can't allow it to go unchecked."

Bucky went very still. "I didn't rape him," he said. He knew the recorder in the middle of the table wasn't on, but it didn't matter right now. He'd had his phone recording the entire time. "I gave the kid half a joint, then we took a nap because I'd been running around for three fucking days without any sleep at that point, and I needed the break." 

"We need more than your word on this, Barnes," Pierce said, his voice cold and hard. 

"Talk to Natasha," Bucky said. "She was working the same op. We didn't fucking know until I saw her there that night, and it wasn't like I could blow both our covers and talk to her."

"She's your sister," Pierce said. "I can't very well take her at her word in this situation. She'd say whatever she had to in order to protect you."

"What about her handler, then?" Bucky snapped, leaning forward. "Her handler should have records of that shit, too." 

Pierce's eyes went flat and angry. "Who was her handler?" 

"I don't fucking know!" Bucky yelled, even though he did. "That's your job, ain't it?" He pushed away from the table. "Are you charging me with anything?"

"Not at the moment," Pierce said.

"Then I'm leaving," Bucky said. "And the next time you wanna sling accusations at me like this? I wanna goddamn lawyer." He stood and left, ignoring everyone as he made his way back out to the street. He made a show of standing there and smoking a cigarette beside his bike before he ground the butt into the cement to put it out and tucked it into the little portable ashtray he carried. He slung his leg over his bike and fired it up obnoxiously, then drove away. 

He hadn't gotten a call from Tony while he was in there, but his phone began to buzz while he was driving. He had to wait until he could find a place to pull over to take it out of his pocket and check it. His stomach sank when he saw several missed calls from his own burner phone, and one missed call from Natasha. 

He dialed the burner first, but it went straight to voicemail. He cursed, then dialed Nat. "What happened?" he demanded as soon as it connected.

"Tony called my phone, but it cut out as soon as I answered," Nat said, her voice clipped and rapid. Bucky could hear a siren in the background. "I tried calling it back, but it went straight to voicemail. Clint got a call from one of his residents just as dispatch relayed a call about someone breaking into the building. We're headed over there now." 

"If they took him…" Bucky said faintly.

"Then he isn't here, and we're just wasting time," Natasha said. "I'm dropping Clint at his building. Meet me at Batroc's."

"I'll see you there," Bucky said darkly. He ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. Natasha would handle Peggy. She had to. Before he could get going again, his phone started to buzz. He grabbed it and saw it was Steve, so he answered. "What is it?"

"Couple of thugs just broke in at Peggy's," Steve said, and he sounded out of breath. "Buck, what the hell is going on? Peg won't tell me anything."

"Stevie, I ain't got fuckin' time for this," Bucky said. "It's Batroc, that's all I can say. I have to go." He ended the call and ignored it when Steve tried calling right back. He shoved his phone in his pocket and cranked his bike again, then gunned it down the street. 

It took him half an hour to get to Batroc's club. “Club” was too nice a word for it. “Hideout” was better, but still not accurate. He tossed his helmet to the sidewalk and didn't give a fuck about it as he tugged his pistol from the holster at his back. He kicked in the door. He cold-clocked the first bastard that tried to take a swing at him, then kept going down the stairs. He could hear screaming. He didn't run, though. He couldn't run into this. 

He kicked out the knee of the next guy, then kicked him in the head, making it bounce against the concrete wall behind him. He crept around the corner, pistol at the ready but not quite raised. The girls he'd seen before were huddled together along the far wall. One of them spotted him, but he held his finger to his lips. Her wide eyes darted over to what was in front of them, and Bucky followed her line of sight. 

He felt sick - and  _ angry _ . Rage, like he had never experienced in his life, welled up within him. But he didn't shoot. "Batroc," he shouted, his voice cold and flat. "Step away from him." 

Batroc's head snapped to the side. He leaned closer to Tony, bent over the table beneath him, and whispered something into his ear. Tony didn't respond at all. His eyes were open, but Bucky was too far away to see much more than that. He stepped into the room, pistol raised.

"I wouldn't if I were you." The voice was that of an older man, and it sent chills down Bucky's spine. He felt the barrel of a gun against his temple. "Give me the gun." Bucky raised it slowly. "That's good." He felt the guy take the gun from his hand. "Now, why don't you just calm down a little bit, hm?" 

"Not a chance in hell," Bucky muttered. He swiped his hand backward and ducked forward at the same time. He heard the gun go off, heard the girls scream, but he wasn't paying them any attention. He grabbed the old bastard's wrist and twisted until he dropped the gun, then he kicked him in the leg to put him on his knees. He punched the asshole in the face, but he was reaching for Bucky's dropped gun. Bucky wrenched his arm harder until he heard the bone snap, and the man shouted in pain. He kicked him over to the side, then slid both guns away with his foot and looked at Batroc. 

Batroc was facing him, his pants up, now, but still undone. There was blood on the front of his jeans. Bucky walked forward. Batroc was saying something to him, but Bucky didn't hear him, couldn't process the words. He saw as Batroc was about to squeeze the trigger, and he ducked low and dove at him, tackling him to the ground. He punched him in the face. Then again. And again. And again. 

He only stopped when something fell beside him. Panting, he turned to the side. It was Tony, who had slipped off the edge of the table and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Bucky knocked Batroc's gun far away from him, then turned and gathered Tony in his arms. 

"Oh, babydoll," he said quietly, brushing his bloodied hand through Tony's hair. Tony's eyes were half-closed, and he wasn't focused on Bucky at all. He had a big red welt on his cheek from where someone had punched him, and there was a red mark that would turn into a bruise around the back and sides of his neck where Batroc had been holding him face-down against the table. His pants were halfway down his thighs, still, and he was bloody. "I'm so, so sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry." 

He felt someone squeeze his shoulder. He relaxed against Natasha's legs, tilting his head back to look at her. "I shouldn't have left him alone, Nat." 

"Bucky, you're bleeding," she said seriously but gently. "I've already called for a bus. They should be here in a minute. Tell me what happened."

"Kicked in the door," he said, and he was aware of her holding out her phone so she could record him. "Punched the first guy. Knocked him out. Got the second one's knee. He went for something behind him, so I kicked him again, he hit his head on the wall. Stopped at the entrance to the room. Girl saw me. Told her to be quiet. Then I saw Batroc raping Tony. I stepped into the room. Some other guy, the old one, he held a gun to my head. Took mine. I ducked and swiped his away, held his arm, kicked him down. He tried to grab my gun off the floor. Broke his arm, kicked him again. Went for Batroc. He tried to shoot me. Dove at him. Just. Kept punching him. Then Tony fell, and I stopped. You came." 

"All right," she said softly. "Thanks." Someone shouted something, and she called back, "Down here! Get cuffs on the rest!" She combed her fingers gently through his hair. "They have to take him now." 

Bucky nodded as he saw EMS carry the gurney down the stairs and wheel it over to them. He still had a hard time letting go. Tony wasn't unconscious, though he was dazed and probably had no idea what was going on. Someone else poked at his shoulder, and only then did Bucky realize just how bad it fucking hurt.


	5. Chapter 5

"I still can't believe you got shot, dumbass," Sam said from where he was standing by the door to Bucky's hospital room. Bucky flipped him off with his right hand. 

"Oh, I can," Steve said, shaking his head. "Cute kid like Tony? Yeah." He laughed at Bucky's sour expression. 

"Yeah, fuck you too, asshole," Bucky muttered. "I'm gonna be riding a desk for months." He let his head fall back against the pillows. They'd ended up having to dig the bullet out of his shoulder blade, and his arm was pretty well fucked where it was strapped into a sling, held snug against his chest. 

"Batroc took a plea," Natasha said, leaning against the wall by the window. Bucky raised an eyebrow at her. "He agreed to give us names. and he gets to serve his sentences currently instead of consecutively." She shrugged. "He still gets forty years without the possibility of parole, so he'll be almost eighty before he gets out."

"I hope that's contingent on whether or not those names net actual charges," Bucky said darkly.

"You think I'm an idiot?" Natasha asked with a sharp smile. "I'm the one who told D.A. Potts to do it that way." She sighed a little. "Stane was remanded without bail, but unless Tony agrees to testify against him, we won't have him on much. Potts is throwing attempted murder and assault of an officer at him, but she's doubtful she can get the attempted murder charge to stick. It isn't clear if it was his bullet or Batroc's that hit you, though based on the angle, it was probably Batroc's."

Bucky nodded. That was a hard one. He'd talked to Tony about him testifying, a little, but Tony had been terrified of facing anyone in a courtroom, of having everything he'd been forced to do aired for everyone to see and hear. Bucky hadn't pressed the issue much. It hadn't seemed so important, back then. He doubted he'd get to see Tony again, though, and that made him ache. He rubbed tenderly at the top of his arm since it hurt too fucking bad to go anywhere near his shoulder.

"Peggy's calling," Steve said, holding up his phone. He looked to Sam and nodded. "We'll let you get some rest, Buck. I'll come by tomorrow to drive you home."

"Hey, punk, what happened to my bike?" Bucky asked suddenly. Steve just laughed and waved as he and Sam walked through the door. "Asshole."

"He drove it back to your apartment," Natasha said. "It's fine." She smirked at him when he flashed her a weak grin. "Come on. I know you're itching for a cigarette." She held up a brand new pack and his zippo for him.

"Best sister ever," he swore. She rolled her eyes, but she helped him stand, and that was what mattered in the long run. Getting dressed had been utter hell that morning, but Natasha had helped, and Bucky was grateful. Even if he was only wearing a black tank top and some of Clint's stupid purple plaid pajama pants, he was happy not to have his ass on display every time he needed to go take a piss. He really had no idea where Clint bought these damn pants, but they were comfy as hell, so he didn't mind much. 

They walked out into the early fall air, and Natasha even slung his leather jacket - bullet hole and all - over his shoulders for him. He smoked two cigarettes before his feet got uncomfortably cold and they headed back inside. He sat in the cafeteria while Natasha ran across the street for some Burger King for him since he was really fucking tired of eating shitty hospital food. She'd gotten too many cheeseburgers for him to eat, though, and he felt a little guilty about them going to waste. 

"Tony wanted some of these," Bucky said quietly, staring at the bag once they'd finished eating. "He said they were his favorite."

"Well, let's go give them to him," she said casually. Bucky grimaced and shook his head. "Why not?"

"Really doubt he wants to see me," Bucky said. "I - it's my fault he got hurt like that. If I hadn't left him alone…"

"It wasn't your fault," Natasha said evenly. "Just like you losing half your team in the desert wasn't your fault. Stane sold Tony to Batroc, and someone else set that IED." She squeezed his hand. "I'm not doing this survivor's guilt thing with you again, Bucky. I've already called your therapist for you, and you have an appointment on Monday. And if I find out you skipped it, I will personally make your life hell."

He couldn't help but laugh at her, just a little. "Thanks, Nat." He squeezed her hand back. "I'll go. I know I need to." 

"Good," Natasha said with a sharp nod. "Now, we're going to see Tony. If he really doesn't want to see you, you can hear that from him and you can know for sure. I won't let you sit there and wallow in the what-ifs." 

He sighed. He really didn't want to go and bother Tony, but he knew Natasha wouldn't give in until he agreed. He stood and walked with her through the maze of halls until they reached an elevator. They stopped on the ninth floor and Natasha led him through more halls. She didn't stop at a nurse's station and ask where to go, so Bucky figured she'd already been by to speak to Tony herself.

Bucky slowed when he saw a door with two guys in suits standing beside it. They were obviously security of some sort. Natasha didn't stop. They nodded to her when she stopped in front of them, then she looked back at Bucky, one eyebrow raised. He walked over slowly. 

"This is my brother," she said to the man on the left. 

"He don't much look like you," the guy said, unimpressed.

"I was adopted," Natasha said with an easy shrug. "Do I need to get his badge?"

"This is the guy?" the man asked, looking Bucky up and down.

"Yes," Natasha said with a sigh. 

"All right," he said and stepped to the side to open the door. "His mom's here. Try not to excite her."

"Thanks," Natasha said with a sharp nod. She grabbed Bucky's right wrist and tugged him along behind herself. "Hello, Tony. Mrs. Stark." Bucky stopped behind her, keeping his eyes on the floor. 

"Bucky," Tony breathed. "Mom, Mom that's Bucky. He's the one who saved me." Bucky looked up, his eyes widening in shock. He hadn't done that. He'd let Tony get  _ hurt _ . 

The older woman in the chair beside the hospital bed stood and walked around the end of it. She took Bucky's hand in both of hers. "Thank you, Mr. Barnes," she said.

"Sergeant," Natasha said. "His rank. It's Sergeant. Same as when he was in the army."

Mrs. Stark nodded to her, then looked at Bucky, who was still flabbergasted. "Sergeant Barnes. You have my most sincere thanks for bringing my baby boy back to me." She stepped forward and kissed Bucky lightly on the cheek, then gave him a gentle smile. She turned to look at Tony. "Tony, dear, I'm simply famished. I'm going to have someone take me to get a bite of lunch. I'll leave you to your Sergeant."

"Okay, Mom," Tony said with a wobbly smile. 

"I love you, my dear," she said gently. 

"Love you too," Tony said quietly. Mrs. Stark left, and Bucky focused on Tony. He still looked pretty awful. His face and neck were all bruised up, and the mint green hospital gown made him look even paler. 

Natasha held up the bag. "We brought you some cheeseburgers since we couldn't take you to them." Tony's mouth dropped open. Nat carried the bag over to him and dumped the last two burgers on the tray table beside a shiny new phone and tablet, both top-of-the-line. "I'm going to harass your security some more." She smirked at Tony. "Barnes," she said sharply. She pointed at the chair where Mrs. Stark had been sitting. "Ass in the chair until I come back."

"Yes ma'am," he said, rolling his eyes. She smacked him on his right shoulder as he passed her and he poked her in the side in retaliation. She gave him a poisonous look, but she left, and Bucky sat gingerly in the chair beside Tony. 

"What happened to you?" Tony asked, frowning. 

"I uh, I got shot," Bucky said, feeling a little sheepish. "Pretty sure it was Batroc when I jumped at him." He shrugged his right shoulder only but winced a little when it still pulled at the left. 

"You  _ what _ ?" Tony demanded. "What the hell happened? I don't remember shit, and no one's told me." 

Bucky stared at the floor. "You tried calling my phone, but I didn't know it. I was on my bike. Couldn't feel it. Pulled over to answer when I felt it going off. Nat told me someone had broken into Clint's building. I still don't know who took you. But I went to Batroc's. Put one of his guys in ICU because I kicked him in the head. I'm in some shit for that." He shook his head. That didn't matter. "I had my gun, but Stane was there. He held his to my head, took mine. Managed to get his away from him, and I broke his arm when he tried to pick up mine from the floor. Saw Batroc and just sort of… lost it, I guess. Walked toward him, then jumped at him. I literally broke his face from punching him too much. Then I just kind of held you until Nat and EMS showed up and they took you away. I didn't even realize he'd shot me." 

"Fuck," Tony whispered. "I'm sorry you got hurt."

Bucky looked up with a sharp frown. "Tony, it was my fault they got to you in the first place. If I hadn't left you alone, they never would have grabbed you." He choked on his breath. "I'm so, so sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry. I know it don't mean shit, but I am."

"Bucky, you got me out of there," Tony said quietly. He looked down at the blanket covering his legs and picked at a loose thread. "If you'd been there, I'm pretty sure they just would have killed you. So. I'm glad you weren't. I'd rather - I'd rather Badroc rape me a hundred times than know you died because of me. It's bad enough you got hurt."

Bucky gaped at him. Then he closed his mouth and shut his eyes. "Cycle of blame," he said, forcefully. "The cycle of blame bullshit, where I blame myself and you blame yourself, that's not gonna fix anything." He opened his eyes, and Tony looked very small in his hospital bed. "Something my therapist made me learn when I came back from the desert. She was right. It happened the way it happened, we just gotta deal with the aftermath. The blame shit ain't gonna solve anything."

Tony nodded slowly. "You're right, I guess." He unwrapped one of the cheeseburgers and took a bite. "Thanks for bringing these. They just said, like an hour ago, that I could eat food again. Those shakes they were giving me before were fucking nasty." 

"All hospital food is pretty nasty, so I can only imagine," Bucky said with a nod. He forced himself to relax into the chair. It jostled his arm a bit, which hurt like hell, but he bit back a groan. They'd stopped his morphine this morning, and he was really starting to regret that. He liked being able to think, sure, but the pain? Not so much. "What are you gonna do when you leave?"

"Dunno yet," Tony said quietly. He took another bite of his burger and chewed and swallowed. "Dad… Dad came to see me while I was asleep, apparently. He doesn't want me in the house. Like I said."

"I will fucking punch him," Bucky swore. 

Tony tried to smile, but it didn't quite work. "They're still testing me for shit. So. You know. I guess I don't blame him."

"I do," Bucky said hotly. "That is  _ bullshit _ , Tony. You should be allowed to go home."

"It wasn't much of a home, anyway," he said quietly. "Mom said she'll buy me an apartment wherever I want." He shrugged. "I don't even know what I should do, now that I'm… free again. I mean. I was halfway through my second doctorate at MIT. They aren't just going to let me pick up where I left off. And I can't even get ahold of my friend Rhodey to figure out what he did with my stuff that was in the labs there." He looked close to tears again. "What am I supposed to do?"

"What do you want to do?" Bucky asked gently. 

"I want to finish my AI," Tony said. "His name was JARVIS. Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. Also… also named after our butler, from when I was a kid. But Rhodey has all my stuff, and I guess he changed his number or something because he still hasn't called me back." Tony rubbed at his eyes with one hand, but he didn't put down his burger. He took another bite instead.

"Got any idea where this Rhodey might be now?"

"Air Force," Tony said, his mouth half full of food. 

"Oh." Bucky grabbed his phone from where he'd tucked it into his sling. "What's his name?" 

"James Rhodes," Tony said, looking at Bucky curiously as he took another bite. 

Bucky typed out a quick message to Steve, but it was Peggy who responded. He smiled at the screen, then looked up at Tony. "What's your new number?" Tony rattled off the digits, and Bucky typed them in. He was a little slow because of typing only one-handed, but he got it all. "Give it half an hour, maybe more. Your buddy's out in the shit where I was. My Captain, Peggy, she has a lot of pull with the Air Force. Now, if you'd said  _ army _ , that's all Steve." Bucky chuckled softly. "Anyway, they'll get your friend to call you asap."

"Holy shit, are you serious?" Tony asked, eyes wide. 

"As a heart attack," Bucky said a little cheerfully. 

"Thank you," Tony said. "Thank you so much. Rhodey is my best friend. I met him at MIT."

Bucky paused and thought back over their conversation. "Wait. You - you said you were working on your second  _ doctorate _ ." Tony nodded, his mouth full of food. "How old were you when you got accepted?"

"Dude, you should seriously Google me," Tony said with a smirk. "I was 14. I'm literally a genius. Not an exaggeration." Tony didn't really sound arrogant as he said it. Bucky felt a little angry about that: Tony should have been allowed to be arrogant about something like that. 

"Holy fuck." Bucky shook his head. "And here I thought I was kinda smart." He barked a laugh. "Babydoll, you blow everyone out of the water." Tony smiled, and it while it was small, it was genuine. "I'm pretty sure MIT would very much like to have their genius back."

"I'm not sure I want to go back," Tony said slowly. "Not right away, at least. I do already have a doctorate in computer engineering, so, you know. Options. Plus Mom said she'd make sure I had access to my trust fund." He took another bite of his burger. It was nearly gone. "I could do nothing for the rest of my life and still be comfortable. I just… don't want to do nothing."

"No need to rush anything," Bucky said. "Get better, first, you know. Healthwise. And go to therapy. That'll help a lot. Trust me."

"You mentioned your therapist earlier," Tony said slowly. "Army stuff? Or… I dunno, cop stuff?"

"Both, admittedly," Bucky said. "But it started when I came home. Lost most of my team to an IED. Almost got me, too." He peeled away a section of his sling to show Tony the burn scar on his arm. "They managed to save my arm, thankfully. Sent me home, though. Took about a year in physio to get it working right. Then I became a cop like Nat. Already had a math degree, so they fast-tracked me to detective. Anyway. Nat couldn't deal with me blaming myself for my teammates' deaths, so she literally drug my ass to a therapist. And it helped. Not right away, but eventually."

"Huh," Tony said quietly. "Okay, then. Guess I should find someone."

"Ask Nat," Bucky said. "She knows some good ones who can help with the kind of shit you've been through. She's been working SVU for two years. Damn near kills me to watch her go through that shit all the time, knowin' I can't help, but she feels better because she's helping people." 

"What do you investigate, then?" Tony asked curiously. 

"Joint Terrorism, sometimes," Bucky said. Tony's eyebrows rose. "Usually, Surveillance and Apprehension for Major Case. I was a sniper, so I've got good eyes. But also, I'm a certified hostage negotiator. I've only really assisted in one kidnapping so far, though." 

"That sounds really stressful," Tony admitted. "And you were doing all that plus the other stuff on the side?" Bucky nodded. "When did you sleep?"

"What's sleep?" Bucky asked, deadpan. "Seriously, Tony, back when we took a damn nap together? I'd been up for three days straight and it was a really damn good thing they were letting me off the hook for my drug tests because I snorted so much coke just to keep functioning I couldn't see straight anymore. Do not pour Red Bull into your coffee. Don't." 

Tony laughed. "I'll take that under advisement." His phone then began to ring. Bucky grinned and waved at it. Tony hesitated, then grabbed it and swiped to answer without looking at the number. "Hello?"

"Tony? Oh my fucking god!" 

"Platypus!" Tony said, grinning from ear to ear. "Can you Skype me or something? I miss you, honeybear." 

"Five minutes, Tony. Don't you dare fucking disappear on me again." 

"I won't. I'll be here." Tony lowered the phone and smiled at it a little. He gave Bucky a more nervous smile. "I, uh, I don't know what I should tell Rhodey."

"Whatever you want," Bucky said. "Try not to give him too many details about the case, but you know. It's up to you." Tony bit his lip. "Hey. He's your best friend, right? He'll forgive you, especially when he finds out what happened. He might be mad, but he won't be mad at you." 

"Okay," Tony said with a nod. "Thanks, Bucky. Really." Bucky waved that away, but then Tony's tablet began to ring. "Hey, Rhodey," Tony said with a faint smile as he held up the tablet. The guy on the screen was a good-looking black guy, a few years older than Tony but probably not quite as old as Bucky. 

"What the hell happened to you, Tones?" Rhodes asked, his voice going gentle. 

"So, uh, I was um. Kidnapped. I guess. It was Stane. I don't - don't really want to tell you the rest." Tony gave him a sheepish smile. 

"Are you okay now?" Rhodes asked seriously. "I mean, it looks like you're in a hospital. And my CO just gave me an hour to talk to you out of literally fucking nowhere, but. You know what I mean."

"I will be," Tony said with a nod. He sounded confident, and Bucky smiled for him. "Oh! So." Tony turned the tablet to the side. "This is Bucky. He's the detective that got me out of there. And he pulled all the strings to get you to call me."

"I didn't," Bucky admitted. "That was my CO, Captain Carter." He nodded to Rhodes. "How's it in shitland, guy?"

Rhodes chuckled. "Same shit, different day, armyman." He considered Bucky for a moment. "Thanks. You saved my best friend and you made it so I could talk to him. I owe you a couple."

"There's a crater in the road, about four clicks outside of the base in J-Bad," Bucky said. "Go pour out a beer over it and we'll call it even." 

"Can do, brother," Rhodes said with a nod. 

Bucky reached out and turned the tablet toward Tony. "Talk to your friend. I'm gonna find Nat. I'll stop by and see you again before I head out tomorrow." Tony nodded, though he looked a little sad. He stood and made his way out of the room.

He heard, just as he got to the door, "Tones, man, you can _ not _ go fallin' in love with the cop that saved you." He left like he hadn't caught it, and shut the door very quietly behind himself. 


	6. Chapter 6

Bucky was sitting at Sister Margaret's with Wade, his arm no longer in a sling but still nowhere near operational efficiency when he got a call from an unknown number. It was late, so he really doubted it was someone trying to sell him something. He swiped and answered it, half worried it was something about work or his arm or something else. 

"Barnes," he said in his most neutral voice. Wade mocked him from across the table, and Bucky casually kicked him in the shin. 

"Hey, Bucky." 

"Tony," he breathed. Wade's eyes went wide. He immediately threw his hand up in the air to signal for shots. Bucky didn't even tell him not to. "What - why - how did you get my number?"

"I have an eidetic memory," Tony said. "I remember it from the burner phone you gave me back at Clint's." 

"Oh," Bucky said, surprised. 

"Plus I texted Nat first and asked her if she thought it would be weird, and she called me an idiot and you a dumbass and said we were perfect for each other. I'm not really sure what she means by that? But I'm trying not to read into it." 

Bucky laughed outright. "Nat means exactly what she says and never anything different," he said. "It's kind of a thing, for her." He relaxed, and it felt like the first time he'd relaxed in  _ months _ . "What's up, babydoll?" Wade waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Bucky rolled his eyes in return.

"Well, couple things, I guess? Um, Mom bought me an apartment like she promised. It's in Manhattan. Okay, so it's a condo? And it's in Tribeca. I actually like it, you know? It's the penthouse."

"Jesus Christ," Bucky croaked. "Please just - don't tell me how much that cost."

"Like, twenty-five mil or something," Tony said, like it was nothing. "I dunno. Mom handled it. My dad is literally a billionaire, Bucky. Anyway. It's got lots of glass." Bucky had a feeling he knew exactly which building Tony meant. He'd been inside that one, once. Because of a robbery, actually. Not that Tony needed to know that. "Also. Job! I got a job. Um. Hi, I'm Tony Stark, and I'm gonna be completely overhauling everything you do as far as your surveillance shit goes." 

"What?" Bucky said faintly.

"I mean, yeah? Like. I took a look at the system you guys have, and it's kind of terrible. So I offered to redo it. They're contracting me for the job. Once Rhodey told me where to find my shit, I dug everything out of storage and I finished up that AI I was telling you about."

"JARVIS," Bucky said with a nod. As soon as Weasel brought over the shots, Bucky downed his. Wade held up his fingers and gestured for four more. Weasel rolled his eyes but went back for more. 

"Exactly!" Tony said brightly. "So JARVIS and I are going to fix everything for you guys and make it better. Plus, Howard agreed to let me upgrade everything on his dime. It'll be a tax break for him, and you will get custom everything. And don't worry, I'll keep it simple to use." Tony laughed softly. 

"You are… the most amazin' damn thing," Bucky said softly. Wade made kissy faces, so Bucky reached across the table and shoved his hand in Wade's face. 

"Are you… busy?"

"No, babydoll," Bucky said. "Just tryin' to kill Wade, 'sall." Tony laughed. 

And then Wade stole Bucky's phone.

"Hi!" Wade said brightly. "Tony, right? I'm Wade." He danced away from Bucky as he lunged at him. "I've probably only got about twenty seconds left to live, but I felt the need to tell you this: please fuck my best friend. He's in such pitiful shape lately. Hasn't gotten his dick wet in ages. Like, probably at least two years. Maybe longer? I-d-k if it even still works, so. You know. Yikes. But! He's been mooning over you for fuck knows how long and he's been making heart eyes at the phone since you called. And I'm gonna go die now. Bye!"

Bucky finally managed to wrestle his phone back from Wade, smacking him in the back of the head as he did so. "I'm gonna kill him."

"He sounds kinda nice."

"He looks like my burnt arm, except his whole body," Bucky argued. "And he isn't nice. He's a  _ fucking asshole _ !" He shouted directly at Wade, who only laughed. "Please, don't listen to him." Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat heavily in his seat. 

Wade leaned close and whispered next to the phone, "He's just afraid his dick won't work."

"My dick works just fine, you fuckin' twat," Bucky snapped. "Fuck. Tony. I'm sorry. We - we are both drunk. A little bit. And he is always an asshole. But is a  _ worse  _ ass hole when he's drunk. Did I tell you he used to be a mercenary? Because he really did used to be a mercenary."

"Ask him if he's into security these days," Tony said, laughing. "I'm trying to build up my own security team. I've already poached my mom's driver. He's great but way too serious. I call him Happy to annoy him." 

"That - that's prolly not a good idea, babydoll," Bucky said. He couldn't remember if he'd taken any pain meds earlier. Maybe he shouldn't have done that shot? Well. It was too late now, and Weasle was already bringing over the other four. "You want security guys who like you. And Wade's - he's terrible. Awful person. He's my best friend. That like, automatically makes him bad." 

"I think it gives him some bonus points," Tony said softly. Bucky melted a little bit. Wade acted like he was a damsel fainting in the booth across from Bucky. He completely ignored him, because honestly… that was pretty accurate. Wade snickered as he pushed himself upright. 

"You're doin' amazin' babydoll," Bucky said. He knocked back another shot. "I'm not? Not tonight." He shrugged and hissed at the sting in his shoulder. Not drunk enough that he was numb, clearly. 

"You okay?" Tony asked, concerned.

"Shoulder," Bucky said. "It's fine. Moved it too much. It's gettin' better. Gotta few more months of physio, prolly."

"I'm helping!" Wade shouted. 

"Yeah, he is," Bucky admitted. "Helps me get all the movements right "

"Speaking of getting better," Tony said shyly. "Got a clean bill of health a couple weeks ago. One hundred percent."

Bucky blinked rapidly. Wade flapped a hand at him, impatient. "Babydoll, that's amazing. That's so great. Holy shit. You gotta be so happy."

"Yeah," Tony said, and he sounded quietly proud. Wade clasped his hands under his chin and blinked a few times, then wiped away an imaginary tear. "I'm still working on the therapy part, like you suggested, but it's going really well. Everything is." 

"I'm proud of you," Bucky said quietly, seriously. Wade didn't joke around this time. He just raised his shot glass for a toast. "I know you cain't see it, but Wade and I are makin' a toast to you. And all your progress." 

"Cheers," Wade said. They tapped their glasses to the table, then tipped them into their mouths. 

Bucky nearly gagged. "Fuck. What  _ was _ that?"

"House special," Wade said, his voice half-gone. "Like, 190-proof, man."

"I'm gonna be too drunk to function here in a bit, babydoll," Bucky admitted. "But I'm damn proud of you. And I'll see you at work?"

"Yeah," Tony said. "See you at work, Bucky." 


	7. Chapter 7

Bucky didn't see Tony at the police department all that much. He did occasionally, and it was nice, but he was also terrified of getting any closer to him. Tony was dealing with the fallout of the trial for Stane. He'd decided to testify, in the end, and it was messy and ugly. Bucky tried to be supportive from the sidelines, but it wasn't easy. 

Tony looked damn good, though. He was back to the same dark tanned complexion he'd had in that photo Peggy had shown him, and he'd put on weight so he didn't look so skinny anymore. He'd made friends with a few people around the station, too, which was always good. Happy, his bodyguard, was always seen nearby, and Bucky was grateful for his presence, even if he seemed to annoy some of the cops. 

Bucky had to go to court during the trial, too. It had come out that Stane was the one who shot him, in the end. They'd been able to piece together the bullet from his shoulder and compare the rifling to Stane's gun. He was going down for attempted murder, at least, but that wasn't enough for Bucky. Tony was brave as hell as he took the stand, though. And he didn't flinch as Stane's attorney rolled out all the evidence he could against Tony, claiming that Tony had run away from home and had  _ chosen _ to go to Batroc. Potts, Tony's attorney, slaughtered them during the cross-examination, though, and Bucky maintained his proud smile through it all. 

When it was said and done, Stane got twenty years in prison for kidnapping Tony the first time, another twenty for the second time, and another fifteen for the attempted murder, to be served consecutively - without the possibility of parole. Stane's attorney would absolutely attempt to take it to trial again and make motions for a mistrial and everything else, but Bucky hoped nothing would succeed. The bastard deserved to rot for what he'd done. 

They had a small party at Sister Margaret's for Tony, organized entirely by Wade - though Wade and Tony still hadn't met. Natasha brought Tony, and everyone toasted Tony's win in court. 

After the initial celebration had calmed some, and Wade and Tony had been introduced and Wade had gone off to bother Natasha and Clint for a while, Tony and Bucky wound up alone in a back corner.

"This was really nice," Tony said, looking down into his glass. Wade had given him a Blue Hawaiian. 

"Wade's… okay sometimes," Bucky allowed with a smirk. "He's still an asshole, though. Don't forget that."

Tony laughed. "You have a weird friendship."

"Most of my friendships are like that," Bucky said with a shrug. "Sam and I hate each other, but I'd take a bullet for the bastard. I mean, what kind of freak eats pineapple on pizza?" Tony laughed again, and Bucky knew he was addicted to the sound. He never wanted it to stop. "Steve and I have been friends basically since diapers, and that stupid shithead followed me to the army. Then he went off to the FBI instead, so he's a bigshot now. But he got Carter, in the end, so he's happy. Then there's Nat." Bucky grimaced in her direction. As if she'd sensed it, she turned and stuck her tongue out at him. Clint casually flicked him off, too, and Bucky waggled his eyebrows suggestively, just to make Clint pretend to vomit, for which Nat hit him. Tony was nearly doubled over in tears by the end of the display. 

"I like your friends, Bucky," Tony said once he'd gotten himself under control. He stepped a little closer and folded one hand over Bucky's left arm. "I like you, too."

"Babydoll," Bucky said softly. 

"I know you like me," Tony said. "I can tell. And - and everyone keeps saying stuff. About us. About you liking me. Like Nat, and Wade. Even Steve said something, earlier." Tony bit his lip. "Please, Bucky. Just… give me a chance. I know I'm a fuck up and I've been through all this shit and I don't have any real like, career perspective or anything like that, but… I can do better, I swear. I've been trying so fucking hard."

Bucky set his beer on a table nearby and didn't care that it would probably get swiped. He cupped Tony's face in his hands and stared at him intently. Tony swallowed hard. "Babydoll, you are about the most perfect person I've ever fuckin' met, okay? You are so damn resilient. You're so strong. You've faced all the shit people have thrown at you, and look at you now? You're on top. You beat them all. I just…" He licked his lips, and he didn't miss how Tony's eyes darted down to watch it happen. "Babydoll, I don't wanna hurt you, okay? I don't want you to think you gotta do anything at all to prove to me you're worth somethin', 'cause you're worth so damn much, I don't have a number for it. I ain't gonna lie to you and say I don't want you, 'cause I do, but I don't wanna do anything that's gonna hurt you. That makes sense, right?"

"Shouldn't I get to decide what's gonna hurt me?" Tony asked. Bucky dropped his hands as Tony turned to the side. He downed part of his drink, then set it on the table where Bucky's beer had been. It was already gone. Tony turned to face Bucky again and grabbed his hands. They were warm. "I've been working on a lot of shit with my therapist, right? And she says that no one but me gets to decide my pain. If I say it hurts, then it hurts. If I say it's better, then it's better. And it might not be better all the time, or it might hurt again, later, but dammit." He bit his lip again. "I want this, Bucky. I want you. And I'm tired of waiting. If you're going to keep saying no, then say no one last time, and I'll - I'll move the fuck on. But you gotta stop calling me babydoll and looking at me like it hurts every time I walk away."

And goddamn, but Tony had cut him deep. Bucky tugged his hands from Tony's, but before his expression could really fall and shatter and break, before he could really begin to experience whatever rejection he thought was coming, Bucky held his face, gently, with one hand on his cheek, and wrapped his hand around the back of Tony's neck, and bent to kiss him. Tony gripped his left shoulder with one hand and the front of his shirt with the other, and he kissed Bucky like Bucky was the only way he could ever breathe again.

"It's about goddamn time!" 

Bucky broke the kiss and turned his head to glare at his sister. Natasha had one hand on her hip and a beer bottle in the other. She took a long, slow sip. 

"Be right back, babydoll, I gotta go murder my sister." 

Tony laughed, but he tugged on the front of Bucky's shirt before he could quite take a step away. "I have a much better idea of how you can spend your time tonight, soldier." He winked, and Bucky felt himself flush red. He bent and kissed Tony again, one harsh, quick kiss. "Yeah?" Tony asked breathlessly. 

"Yeah, babydoll," Bucky said, feeling just as breathless. "I'd give you the whole damn world." Tony beamed up at him, and Bucky couldn't quite help kissing him again. "I'm still gonna fuckin' punch Howard if I ever meet him."

"I'll record it and put it on YouTube," Tony promised. Bucky kissed him again. It was just as addictive as his laugh. 


	8. Chapter 8

Bucky met Mrs. Stark -  _ Please, dear, call me Maria  _ \- for the second time as Tony's boyfriend. He thought he was understandably nervous. Tony thought he was being ridiculous. They went to a stupidly expensive restaurant for dinner - the kind where the prices weren't on the menu, and if you had to ask, you probably couldn't afford to eat there - and then they went to a Broadway play, where they sat in their own private box. Bucky was more than a little overwhelmed by the entire experience, but he honestly had a really nice time. Maria was funny and snarky and had a cutting wit that left Bucky nearly in tears several times. They got along swimmingly in their sense of humor. Surprisingly, to Bucky, she appreciated his dark and morbid jokes. 

Bucky stayed in Tony's penthouse with him exactly one night every week, and Tony stayed in Bucky's small apartment with him exactly one night every week. Bucky insisted on it, even when Tony got pouty and whiny. He needed the distance, sometimes, while he was still feeling out this new relationship. He'd been half in love with Tony since he'd met him that first night over two years ago, and they'd circled each other like sharks for nearly six months, but Bucky had to do things slowly. He'd fucked around with Rumlow, after all. That was how he'd really wound up involved in the mess with Tony in the first place. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. He'd had to sit Tony down and explain it to him, and it had been nerve-wracking as hell, but Tony had thanked him for the explanation, after. Tony had been worried Bucky was having second thoughts about dating a former whore. 

Tony had a lot of issues with his self-confidence. Bucky didn't mind praising Tony at every turn, though. It felt natural, and there was always so much to praise him for. Once Tony had finished his project with the police department, he'd found an old warehouse and converted it into a useable lab space for himself. Bucky had worried when he'd locked himself in there for nearly a week, but JARVIS gave him regular updates, and by the end of it, Tony had produced a miniature arc reactor. They were expensive as hell to make, but he donated them anyway, flying off to third-world countries badly in need of electricity and installing them into a useable power-grid. Tony had revolutionized green energy, and  _ his  _ name was the one people were thinking of when someone said the name Stark - not Howard's. Tony made his own phones and tablets, developed his own company named Resilient, and he donated more than half his annual profits to victims of sex crimes, domestic abuse victims, women’s shelters, and the homeless. 

Bucky was madly in love, he knew. They'd been together for a year, by the time Tony was running Resilient, and Bucky went to Steve for advice.

They were sitting on a park bench, watching Steve's two-year-old daughter, Francesca - nicknamed Frankie, and who refused to answer to anything else - play in a sandbox. 

"I wanna marry Tony," Bucky said, apropos of nothing. They'd been talking about work, before.

Steve paused, took a drink of water, then grinned and slapped Bucky on the back. "It's about damn time."

"Why's everyone keep saying that?" Bucky asked, annoyed. "It's only been a year."

"Buck, you've been in love with Tony since the day you met him, don't play stupid. I've known you longer than anyone alive." Bucky rolled his eyes. It was true, but he shouldn't say it. "You picked out a ring yet?"

"No," Bucky said, shaking his head. "I mean. Tony's literally a millionaire. He'd be a billionaire if he didn't donate so much of his money. What the hell am I supposed to get him?" 

"It's not going to matter how much it costs," Steve said seriously. "You're giving it to him. That's all he's gonna care about. Jerk." 

"Punk," Bucky said fondly. "Well, get your rugrat and let's go look at some damn rings. I've tried like, ten times, but I get too nervous and overwhelmed and I just walk out." 

"Frankie!" Steve called. She popped her head up. "C'mon, time to go."

"No!" She really liked the word no. 

"Wanna get ice cream?" Bucky asked, a lazy grin in place. 

"Yes!" Frankie cheered. She stood, and a waterfall of sand poured from her dress. 

"You get to carry her," Steve said, clapping Bucky on the shoulder. Bucky made a face. "You promised her ice cream, you get to carry the sand gremlin." 

After she toddled over, Bucky carefully dusted all the sand he could from her, then hoisted her up to his hip. She babbled at him, and he nodded along, asking all kinds of questions. He assumed she was telling him about her adventures in the sand. Steve had a broad grin on his face as he watched them, and Bucky knew Steve was recording them. Probably sending the videos on Snapchat to Tony and Peggy. He didn't mind so much, really. He adored Frankie. 

They made it to the first jewelry store, and Bucky explained he was looking for a ring for his fiance. He had to specify he wanted something for a man, and he was a tad annoyed by the woman's shocked look when she spotted the wedding ring on Steve's finger. 

"He's my brother," Bucky finally said, annoyed. "And this is my niece." He lifted Frankie a little higher. "Now, can you show me something?" The woman did, finally, but nothing seemed quite right. Bucky thanked her, and they left. He bought Frankie her promised ice cream and they sat to eat it. 

At the second store, they didn't get any strange looks or questions, but Bucky still didn't see anything that would work for Tony. He wanted something simple but pretty and a little bit elegant. Something he thought would suit Tony. 

Steve clapped him on the shoulder as they left. "Third time's the charm, right?" Bucky nodded, trying to stay hopeful. 

At the third store, there was a far better selection for men's-specific engagement rings, and Bucky found one he liked but wasn't quite satisfied with. He held it up to the woman working. "Is there a way I can customize this?"

"Sure, what did you want to do with it?" she asked. 

The band was fairly slim, but there was a gentle twist in the middle that reminded Bucky of the infinity symbol. In the twist were a series of diamonds. "I wanna stagger the diamonds with rubies. And… can you engrave the inside?" 

She smiled and began to take notes on a little form for all Bucky's customizations. He'd even gotten Tony's ring size from his mom, which was really damn convenient. He was pretty sure, thinking back on it now, that she'd been trying to hint at Bucky marrying Tony, but he really didn't want to push that assumption. 

Steve hugged Bucky when it was finished. "He's gonna love it, Buck. And I'm proud of you." 

Bucky smiled nervously. "Now he's just gotta say yes."


	9. Chapter 9

Everything of importance happened at Sister Margaret's. Bucky fully believed that. He'd met Wade there. He'd had his first drink when he was back stateside there. Peggy and Steve had announced their engagement there. He'd kissed Tony for the first time - the first  _ real _ time - there. Peggy had announced her pregnancy there - after Wade had started heckling her for drinking water. Natasha and Clint had announced  _ their  _ engagement there - after five very long years of dating. They mourned there, too. Whenever they lost someone important, they gathered at Sister Margaret's. Or they gathered there to celebrate. Or they just gathered because they could and it was familiar. 

So, on a Saturday night when they were all gathered together, Bucky took Tony to the middle of the floor. And he knelt. He saw Tony stop breathing. He tugged just the ring from his pocket. 

"You're one of the most important damn people in my life, Tony Stark. I've watched you grow into the man you are right now, and I want to keep watching, to see the man you'll become. But I want to be there by your side every step of the way. You are so goddamn  _ resilient _ , and I love you. Will you marry me?"

The whole bar screamed and cheered and whooped when Tony nodded and Bucky grinned and slid the ring onto Tony's finger. Steve, the shit, had recorded the whole thing and sent it to Tony's mother. 

"I'm mad at you, you know," Tony said casually, sitting in Bucky's lap afterward. They were in one of the booths with Natasha and Clint beside them and Steve, Peggy, Sam, and Wade across from them. 

"Why's that?" Bucky asked, nosing at Tony's hair. 

"Because I was going to propose to you." Tony sounded miffed, but Bucky could only laugh. Tony smacked his arm. "Don't laugh at me. I had the whole thing planned out. There was a trip to Paris for brunch involved."

"Well, I ain't never been to Paris for brunch," Bucky drawled, "but you could propose to me any place, any time, and I'd always say yes." Tony smiled softly and turned to kiss him. 

"Gross," Sam complained. "Get a room already."

"Don't be jealous," Bucky said. "I'm sure you'll find someone in hell, where you belong." 

The table laughed, even Sam, and they drank and talked well into the night. When Tony and Bucky made it back to Tony's penthouse the next day - they'd crashed in Clint's empty apartment, the one Tony had been stuck in with Bucky for a little over two days - Tony went to his dresser and opened one of the drawers. He walked over to where Bucky was sitting on the bed and gave him the ring box. 

It was a simple silver-y band, but it had two tiny lines of black stones in the center that wrapped around the entirety of the ring. "Wanna marry me?" Tony asked with a little smirk. Bucky looked up into Tony's face, and even now, with Tony's smirk, he could see the insecurity in his eyes, nevermind that Bucky had been the one to ask Tony the night before.

Bucky plucked the ring from the box and held it out for him. "Yeah, I really do." He gave Tony a crooked smile as Tony took the ring and slid it onto Bucky's finger. He wasn't even going to ask how Tony had known which size to get: he was a genius, after all.

They got cleaned up and called Maria and took her to brunch. She laughed when they told her and said the same thing everyone always said to them: "It's about time, my dears." 

That night, they finally went to the Stark mansion for the first time. Bucky wasn't overwhelmed this time, not by any of it. All he saw was how none of it was good enough for Tony, how Tony embodied everything that represented the future, and how this mansion was too old to hold him back now. Tony was better than any of it, and he fit so much better in his shining glass tower. 

When Bucky met Howard for the first time, he did what he'd always said he'd do: he punched him in the fucking face.

**Author's Note:**

> [come find me on tumblr](https://shyglittercreature.tumblr.com/)


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